Methods and devices for improving AM-AM and AM-PM performance of an RF amplifier are presented. According to one aspect, input and output harmonic terminations coupled to the input and output of the amplifier are tuned at frequencies near to, but different than, a second harmonic frequency of an RF signal to be amplified. Improved AM-AM and AM-PM performance is obtained when i) the input harmonic termination is tuned at a frequency that is below the second harmonic frequency and the output harmonic termination is tuned at a frequency that is above the second harmonic frequency, and ii) the input harmonic termination is tuned at a frequency that is farther away from the second harmonic frequency than the frequency used for tuning of the output harmonic termination.

Methods and devices for improving AM-AM and AM-PM performance of an RF amplifier are presented. According to one aspect, input and output harmonic terminations coupled to the input and output of the amplifier are tuned at frequencies near to, but different than, a second harmonic frequency of an RF signal to be amplified. Improved AM-AM and AM-PM performance is obtained when i) the input harmonic termination is tuned at a frequency that is below the second harmonic frequency and the output harmonic termination is tuned at a frequency that is above the second harmonic frequency, and ii) the input harmonic termination is tuned at a frequency that is farther away from the second harmonic frequency than the frequency used for tuning of the output harmonic termination.

A radio-frequency signal amplifier circuit that is used in a front-end circuit and that propagates a radio-frequency transmission signal and a radio-frequency reception signal is described. The amplifier circuit has an amplifier transistor, a bias circuit, a resistor, and an LC series resonance circuit. The LC series resonant circuit has one end that is connected to a node between the resistor and a signal input terminal, and has another end that is connected to a grounding terminal. A resonant frequency of the LC series resonance circuit is included in a difference frequency band between the frequencies of the transmission signal and the reception signal.

Radio-frequency (RF) amplifier having active gain bypass circuit. In some embodiments, an amplifier can include a first amplification path implemented to amplify a signal, and having a cascode arrangement of a first input transistor and a cascode transistor to provide a first gain for the signal when in a first mode. The amplifier can further include a second amplification path implemented to provide a second gain for the signal while bypassing at least a portion of the first amplification path when in a second mode. The second amplification path can include a cascode arrangement of a second input transistor and the cascode transistor shared with the first amplification path. The amplifier can further include a switch configured to allow routing of the signal through the first amplification path in the first mode or the second amplification path in the second mode.

A power amplification system with shared common base biasing is disclosed. A method for power amplification at a controller of a power amplification system comprising a plurality of cascode amplifier sections can include receiving a band select signal indicative of one or more frequency bands of a radio-frequency input signal to be amplified and transmitted. The method may further include biasing a common base stage of each of the plurality of cascode amplifier sections, and biasing a common emitter stage of a subset of the plurality of cascode amplifier sections.

A power amplifying apparatus includes a first bias circuit configured to generate a first bias current, a first amplification circuit, configured to receive the first bias current, amplify a signal input to the first amplification circuit through a first node, and output a first amplified signal to a second node, a second bias circuit, configured to generate a second bias current which has a magnitude different from a magnitude of the first bias current, and a second amplification circuit, connected in parallel with the first amplification, configured to receive the second bias current, amplify the signal input through the first node, and output a second amplified signal to the second node. The second amplification circuit is configured to output the second amplified signal with a third-harmonic component that has a phase offsetting a third-order intermodulation distortion (IM3) component included in the first amplified signal, based on the second bias current.

A power amplifier circuit amplifies a radio-frequency signal in a transmit frequency band. The power amplifier circuit includes an amplifier, a bias circuit, and an impedance circuit. The amplifier amplifies power of a radio-frequency signal and outputs an amplified signal. The impedance circuit is connected between a signal input terminal of the amplifier and a bias-current output terminal of the bias circuit and has frequency characteristics in which attenuation is obtained in the transmit frequency band. The impedance circuit includes first and second impedance circuits. The first impedance circuit is connected to the signal input terminal. The second impedance circuit is connected between the first impedance circuit and the bias-current output terminal.

A matching network is a matching network of a power amplifier circuit that outputs a signal obtained by a differential amplifier amplifying power of a high-frequency signal. The matching network includes an input-side winding connected between differential outputs of the differential amplifier; an output-side winding that is coupled to the input-side winding via an electromagnetic field and whose one end is connected to a reference potential; a first LC series resonant circuit including a capacitive element and an inductive element connected in series with each other, and being connected in parallel with the input-side winding; and a second LC series resonant circuit including a capacitive element and an inductive element connected in series with each other, and being connected in parallel with the output-side winding.

A power amplifier circuit includes a first transistor amplifying a first signal; a second transistor amplifying a second signal; a bias circuit supplying a bias current or voltage to a base or gate of the second transistor; and an attenuator attenuating the first or second signal in accordance with a control voltage supplied from the bias circuit. The attenuator includes a first diode to which the control voltage is supplied, a third transistor including a collector connected to a supply path of the first or second signal, an emitter connected to a ground, and a base to which the control voltage is supplied from the first diode, and a capacitor connected in parallel with the first diode. The control voltage decreases as a second signal power level increases. The third transistor allows part of the first or second signal to pass to the emitter in accordance with the control voltage.

A transmission unit includes a first transistor that amplifies power of a first signal and outputs a second signal, a power supply circuit that supplies to the first transistor a power supply voltage that changes in accordance with an amplitude level of the first signal, and an attenuator that attenuates the first signal in such a manner that an amount of attenuation of the first signal increases with a decrease in the power supply voltage when the power supply voltage is less than a first level.